{"id":875190,"date":"2025-10-02T21:36:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T02:36:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/02\/can-we-win-ex-super-eagles-star-reacts-to-south-africas-points-deduction\/"},"modified":"2025-10-02T21:36:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T02:36:26","slug":"can-we-win-ex-super-eagles-star-reacts-to-south-africas-points-deduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/02\/can-we-win-ex-super-eagles-star-reacts-to-south-africas-points-deduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Can we win? Ex-Super Eagles star reacts to South Africa\u2019s points deduction"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><img width=\"750\" height=\"500\" alt=\"Soccer Can we win? Ex-Super Eagles star reacts to South Africa\u2019s points deduction\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/JD8sDum2j4IsdqVD7My57O3m20Q=\/750x500\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fsoccernet.ng%2Fapp%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F09%2Fimago1066150564.jpg\" srcset data-sizes=\"auto\" data-expand=\"700\"><\/p>\n<p>Nigeria during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Amavubi of Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on September 6, 2025 in Uyo, Nigeria. [Photo Credit\/ ImagoxAkpan Nsidibe].<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>The Super Eagles of <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/tag\/nigeria\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nigeria<\/a> were handed a boost in their 2026 World Cup qualification journey after FIFA confirmed the deduction of three points from South Africa, Soccernet.ng reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Bafana Bafana were top of Group C with 17 points following their 1-1 draw against Eric Chelle&#8217;s side in Bloemfontein earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p>However, <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2025\/09\/official-south-africa-docked-3-points-by-fifa-in-world-cup-qualifiers-advantage-nigerias-super-eagles.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FIFA has ordered for three points to be chalked off after Hugo Broos&#8217; side were found guilty of breaching the FIFA disciplinary code<\/a> by fielding a suspended Teboho Mokoena, in the South Africa v. Lesotho match played on 21 March 2025 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier game.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, the point gap between Nigeria and South Africa has dropped to three points with two games left to play.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_179950\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-179950\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/JE9_G3qf11pp1A3CcOlcX8aLVCk=\/819x1024\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fsoccernet.ng%2Fapp%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F09%2FE17EADB7-5946-438F-B217-B2278506D9E7-1.jpg\" alt width=\"819\" height=\"1024\"  ><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-179950\">2026 FIFA GROUP C WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS TABLE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Get Our Sports News First \u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029VagMHLcA89MZvw0Btc21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While it&#8217;s good news for Eric Chelle&#8217;s side, former KV Kortrijk attacker, Oladimeji Lawal, is unsure if the Nigerian team can capitalise on their advantage.<\/p>\n<h2>Soccer Dimeji Lawal not confident in <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/tag\/super-eagles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Super Eagles<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>In an interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/brila.net\/super-eagles-must-focus-on-winning-not-south-africa-deduction-lawal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Brila<\/strong><\/a>, the three-cap Super Eagles forward admitted he was sure the deduction was only a matter of time.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t get excited about boardroom points because one thing is to get three points taken away from South Africa, and another thing is for us to win our remaining games.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_177923\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-177923\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/9MoK4phkk-485OkgbSe2rL_g-Tw=\/1024x566\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fsoccernet.ng%2Fapp%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F09%2Fimago1066232480-1.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Nigeria Beat Rwanda 1-0 In Uyo Nigeria lines up during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between Nigeria s Super Eagles and Rwanda s Amavubi\" width=\"1024\" height=\"566\"  ><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-177923\">Nigeria beat Rwanda 1-0 In Uyo, Nigeria, during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between Nigeria&#8217;s Super Eagles and Rwanda s Amavubi. Copyright: xAdekunlexAjayiximago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI knew from the beginning that FIFA would not compromise its rules. When South Africa made that mistake, I was certain they would forfeit those three points and three goals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe bottom line is, can we win our last two games? That\u2019s the crucial part of it. I\u2019m not so excited about South Africa losing points.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I am looking forward to is how we can prepare ourselves in a manner that guarantees victories in the next two matches,\u201d the 54-year-old concluded.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_163262\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-163262\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/jZrV9VN6LXCSWAWvIZ2Rlz92pLQ=\/1024x683\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fsoccernet.ng%2Fapp%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F06%2Fimago1062623041-1.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer The Super Eagles of Nigeria celebrate winning the Unity Cup during the Unity Cup Final, London 2025 match between Jamaica and Nigeria at Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"  ><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-163262\">The Super Eagles of Nigeria celebrate winning the Unity Cup during the Unity Cup Final, London 2025 match between Jamaica and Nigeria at Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford. [Photo Credit\/ Imago].<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Soccer Can the Super Eagles qualify for the 2026 World Cup?<\/h2>\n<p>Eric Chelle&#8217;s men can still directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup, although under very strict conditions, as finishing second in the group isn&#8217;t an option.<\/p>\n<p>To finish top of Group C, the Super Eagles have to;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Win their remaining two World Cup qualifying games (against Benin Republic and Lesotho)<\/li>\n<li>Score an average of five goals across these two games without conceding a goal to stay afloat by goal difference, just in case they&#8217;re joint top by points gotten<\/li>\n<li>Hope that South Africa and Rwanda drop points in their upcoming fixtures in the October International break.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While the Super Eagles still stand a chance to participate in the maiden edition of the 48-team World Cup tournament, they&#8217;ll need help from elsewhere.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><img alt=\"<!-- Author Start -->Adefolahan Guerreiro<!-- Author End -->&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f64d35abfd960f4a5a400c4bb517f7f0be6c48b655560fbdd37e59d9fc9ca58?s=80&#038;d=mm&#038;r=g&#8221;  height=&#8221;80&#8243; width=&#8221;80&#8243; loading=&#8221;lazy&#8221; decoding=&#8221;async&#8221;>\t\t<\/p>\n<div>\n<h3>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/author\/guerreiro\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tAdefolahan Guerreiro\t\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tAdefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria.<\/p>\n<p>With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience.<\/p>\n<p>He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, Sikiru Alimi, Sodiq Ismaila and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2025\/10\/ex-super-eagles-star-south-africa.html\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a>Adefolahan Guerreiro<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer Nigeria during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Amavubi of Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on September 6, 2025 in Uyo, Nigeria. [Photo Credit\/ ImagoxAkpan Nsidibe]. The Super Eagles of Nigeria were handed a boost in their 2026 World Cup qualification journey after FIFA [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":875191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3577,129287,2005],"tags":[7956,129286],"class_list":{"0":"post-875190","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eagles","8":"category-ex-super","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-eagles","11":"tag-ex-super"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=875190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/875191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=875190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=875190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=875190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}